With great beard comes great responsibility! It’s not just about taking care of your sweet mane with beard creams and beard cleansing wipes. Nay, sharing one’s bountiful beard has also been used as a way to benefit many different causes for those in need! Which makes perfect sense: Beards are a glorious expression of natural masculinity, and nothing is more manly than helping those less fortunate. Members of our own team have been known to give back to their communities from time to time. Today, we’re highlighting some of the awesome ways in which bearded bros have helped others while rocking badass beards.
Decembeard
Cancer sucks, and a number of charities aimed at beating it have adopted beardedness as a way to raise both awareness and funds. Decembeard is dedicated to fighting bowel cancer, which takes a life every half an hour, 24/7/365. Decembeard participants can register for sponsorship to grow a beard (or to preserve and improve their existing beard). Funds raised are used to provide those with bowel cancer with both practical and emotional support, in person, over the phone, and online, as well as to raise awareness, and to campaign for health and government services to provide the highest levels of care.
Alzheimer’s Society
The Alzheimer’s Society in the UK is dedicated to supporting those who have dementia, as well as their loved ones. They provide care and support in the form of community based services, sponsor research relating to dementia causes, care, cures, and prevention, and they campaign for change to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers and families. And one of the ways they raise money? You got it: Beard bros getting their scruff sponsored for this great cause. (You can also do a sponsored shave, but why would you?!).
Beards4Balls
Testicular cancer is a highly treatable cancer—when it’s caught early. But all too often it isn’t. Why not? Because many men find themselves uncomfortable with approaching their doctors when they notice something amiss in their briefs. The founder of Beards4Balls, Scott Minnig, found out just how dangerous that sort of misplaced male pride can be when he was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer that had already spread to his lymph nodes. Beards4Balls encourages beardos to grow sponsored beards and to use them as a talking point to educate men on the importance of getting to the doctor if they notice something off with their junk.
The Great American Beard and Moustache Championship
This yearly competition isn’t just a great opportunity to show off (or just admire) exceptional, creative, modern, traditional, and just downright awesome facial hair. The North American Competitive Beard and Moustache Alliance, which organizes the competition, also encourages altruism along with snazzy facial stubble by donating profits of its competitions to charity. The Alliance has supported a number of different charities, with its most recent recipients being the Fisher House Foundation and Rocky Mountain Cancer Assistance. Fisher House supports the families of service members and veterans receiving treatment, by providing them with warm, inviting, comfortable lodging. Rocky Mountain Cancer Assistance provides cost of living assistance for cancer patients in the state of Colorado.
These are only a few of the organizations and charities which have recognized the popularity of the beard and the generosity of beard bros as a great way to raise funds and awareness for their causes. This holiday season, why not channel Santa and use your beard to give back?
This holiday season, while you’re grooming your amazing beard with the best beard oils, take a moment to think of those less fortunate and how you can make a difference in their lives.